Chinese courts and tourism authorities should play a bigger role in promoting a sustainable and sound development of the tourism industry through protecting the legitimate rights and interests of both tourists and travel operators and better regulating the order of the tourism market, said the Supreme People’s Court (SPC) and the China National Tourism Administration(CNTA) in a joint statement issued recently.

The statement called for timely resolution of various disputes and more efforts in developing the tourism industry, a requirement set in the 13th Five-Year Plan (2016-20). As a key part of the modern service industry, tourism creates jobs and increases people’s income, it said.

With the improvements in people's living standards and rapid development of the tourism market in recent years, Chinese courts have seen an ever-increasing number of lawsuits over tourism-related disputes, it noted.

Courts and tourism authorities should perform their trial, administrative mediation and law enforcement functions to resolve the disputes promptly and effectively, it added.

Courts at all levels should push ahead with the setup of detached tribunals and a circuit trial system for scenic spots, with tailored measures for tourist attractions that see large flows of visitors and frequent disputes.

The statement also urged courts and tourism authorities to set up a communication mechanism for resolving disputes in a bid to facilitate sharing of information and research on new issues concerning tourism disputes.